Papers

61,005 results
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Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic Contamination in Agricultural Soils Across India: A Systematic Review

This systematic review of 73 studies found that microplastics are contaminating agricultural soils across India through polluted irrigation water, atmospheric deposition, and plastic mulch use. This is concerning because microplastics in farmland can be taken up by crops and enter the food supply. The research highlights a significant gap — most studies focus on waterways while the soils that grow our food remain understudied.

2025 International Journal of Environment and Climate Change 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soils: An Emerging Threat to Soil Health, Microbial Ecology, Crop Productivity, and Food Safety

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers found that these particles can disrupt soil microbial communities, harm plant health, and potentially enter the human food chain. The study highlights the urgent need for mitigation strategies to address this growing but often overlooked form of pollution in farmland.

2025 International Journal of Plant & Soil Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Tiny toxins, big problems: the hidden threat of microplastic in agroecosystems

This review examines the impacts of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, covering sources from plastic mulch and irrigation, effects on soil structure, water retention, microbial diversity, and nutrient cycling, and consequences for crop health and food safety.

2025 Plant Science Today
Article Tier 2

Sources, environmental fate, and impacts of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils: A comprehensive review

This review examines how microplastics from fertilizers, irrigation, and atmospheric fallout are contaminating agricultural soils worldwide. Once in the soil, microplastics interact with soil organisms, disrupt plant growth, and can carry other harmful chemicals deeper into the environment. Because these tiny plastics can move up the food chain, they represent a growing threat to both food safety and human health.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 115 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agriculture- a Review

This review examines the growing presence of microplastics in agricultural environments, covering their sources from plastic mulch films and irrigation water, their effects on soil health and crop quality, and the implications for food safety and sustainable agriculture.

2025 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in soil agro-ecosystems: A review

This review examines microplastic contamination in agricultural soils across global regions, with a focus on underrepresented areas in Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. Researchers found that key sources include plastic mulch films, fertilizers, compost, and wastewater irrigation, and discuss strategies for pollution monitoring and control in farming systems.

2022 Environmental Advances 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution pattern and risk assessment of microplastics contamination in different agricultural systems

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in agricultural soils across six sites in Coimbatore, India with distinct farming practices, finding microplastics in 81% of organic matter-removed samples. The study revealed that different agronomic inputs and land management practices produce distinct microplastic contamination profiles.

2024 International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as contaminants in the soil environment: A mini-review

This mini-review examines microplastic contamination in soil environments, an area that has received far less attention than marine pollution. Researchers found that agricultural practices like plastic mulch use and sewage sludge application are major sources of soil microplastics. The study highlights that soil microplastics can harm plant growth, alter soil organisms, and potentially enter the food chain through crop uptake.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 710 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification and Analysis of Microplastics in Farmland Soils: Characterization, Sources, and Pathways

This study quantified and characterized microplastics in farmland soils from multiple sites, identifying agricultural mulch films, irrigation water, and compost as major sources and documenting widespread soil contamination across different farming regions.

2021 Agriculture 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Soil: Inventories, Effect and Environmental Risks

This review synthesizes global evidence on microplastic contamination of agricultural soils, covering input pathways (mulch films, sludge, irrigation), environmental risks to soil structure and organisms, and the broader implications for ecosystem services and food security.

2025 Sustainability Sciences in Asia and Africa
Review Tier 2

Sources, pollution, and ecological impacts of soil microplastics-A review

A comprehensive review summarized the sources, distribution, and ecological impacts of microplastics in soil environments, synthesizing evidence on how plastics affect soil organisms, structure, and agricultural productivity. The review calls for urgent policy action to address soil microplastic contamination as a threat to food security.

2025 Environmental chemistry and safety 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

[Distribution, Sources, and Behavioral Characteristics of Microplastics in Farmland Soil].

This systematic review summarizes existing research on how microplastics distribute, accumulate, and move through farmland soils worldwide. The study found that microplastics in agricultural soil come mainly from plastic mulch films, fertilizers, and irrigation water, with fibers and fragments being the most common shapes detected. Since farmland microplastics can be taken up by crops, this contamination pathway is a direct route for microplastics to enter the human food supply.

2023 PubMed 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Existence and fate of microplastics in terrestrial environment: A global fretfulness and abatement strategies

This review covers the global spread of microplastics in soils, farmland, and other land environments, finding contamination from sources like sewage sludge, plastic mulch, and irrigation water. The study highlights that terrestrial microplastic pollution may actually be greater than marine pollution and poses risks to soil organisms, crop growth, and human health through the food chain.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in agriculture soil: An updated review

This review provides an updated overview of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, covering sources including plastic mulching, sewage irrigation, contaminated rainwater, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers highlight how microplastics alter soil structure, fertility, and microbial diversity, with potential implications for crop health and food safety. The study calls for development of cost-effective detection methods for rapid identification of microplastics in soil systems.

2025 World Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology and Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastics pollution in the soil and terrestrial ecosystems: A global and Bangladesh perspective

This review examined microplastic pollution in soils and terrestrial ecosystems from both global and Bangladesh perspectives. Researchers found that while microplastics are well-studied in aquatic environments, their presence in agricultural soils poses a largely unexplored threat to food safety, with evidence suggesting microplastics can transfer from soil through terrestrial agriculture into the human food chain.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 209 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the agricultural soils: Pollution behavior and subsequent effects

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics accumulate in farmland through fertilizers, irrigation, plastic mulch, and atmospheric fallout. Microplastics change soil structure, harm beneficial microbes, and can be taken up by crops, moving through the food chain to humans. The authors emphasize that more research is needed to understand the long-term health risks of eating food grown in microplastic-contaminated soil.

2024 Land Degradation and Development 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils: A comprehensive review

This comprehensive review summarizes what is known about microplastics in soil, covering their sources from agriculture, household waste, and industry, as well as how they move through and accumulate in different soil types. The review finds that current methods for measuring soil microplastics are inconsistent, making it difficult to accurately assess the true scale of contamination and its risks to food safety and human health.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 45 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in the agricultural soil—mitigation strategies, heavy metals contamination, and impact on human health: a review

This review examines how microplastics contaminate agricultural soil through plastic mulch, irrigation water, and fertilizers, then alter soil chemistry, harm beneficial microorganisms, and reduce crop productivity. The authors highlight that microplastics can accumulate in crops and enter the human food chain, posing risks to food safety and human health, particularly through daily food and water consumption.

2024 Plant Cell Reports 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics accumulation in agricultural soil: Evidence for the presence, potential effects, extraction, and current bioremediation approaches

This review examines the accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulching and irrigation, discussing their effects on soil properties and crop growth, along with current bioremediation approaches for removing soil microplastics.

2022 Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Significance of Microplastics in Agricultural Soil

This review examines the significance of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, estimating it contributes approximately 20% of total plastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics enter farmland through irrigation, mulch, and sewage sludge, and can be transported deeper into soil by plant roots and soil organisms. The accumulation of microplastics in agricultural land poses risks to soil health and the food grown in it.

2023 Journal of Agronomy Technology and Engineering Management (JATEM) 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Far‐Reaching Impact of Microplastics on Agricultural Systems: Options for Mitigation and Adaptation

This systematic review examines how microplastics affect agricultural systems, from soil health and crop growth to farm animals and the food consumers eat. The research highlights that microplastic contamination in farming is widespread and may pose risks throughout the food supply chain, making it a concern for anyone who eats conventionally grown food.

2025 Land Degradation and Development 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination of Non-Mulched Agricultural Soils in Bangladesh: Detection, Characterization, Source Apportionment and Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment

Researchers found microplastics in agricultural soil across Bangladesh at all depths tested, even though the fields did not use plastic mulch film. Eight different plastic types were identified, with concentrations varying by location, and coastal areas had the highest levels. The study suggests that irrigation water and organic fertilizers are introducing microplastics to farmland, potentially entering the food chain through crops grown in contaminated soil.

2024 Journal of Xenobiotics 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soil

This book chapter surveys microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, reviewing the sources of plastic inputs, concentrations found in different farming systems, and the effects of MPs on soil properties, microbial communities, and crop yields.

2025
Article Tier 2

Current research trends on microplastics pollution and impacts on agro-ecosystems: A short review

This review summarizes current research on microplastic pollution in agricultural ecosystems, covering sources, effects, toxicity, and potential solutions. Researchers found that while most microplastic studies have focused on marine environments, agricultural soils are also significantly contaminated through sources like plastic mulch film, sewage sludge, and irrigation water, with potential impacts on soil health and crop production.

2021 Separation Science and Technology 65 citations